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Despite a largely new squad, the same malaise continues to plague the team - it's difficult to see any other reason for that than the manager. I was supportive of him staying on especially given the backing demonstrated in David Beattie's statement which, rather dumbly, nobody (I included) seemed to realise was a play straight from 'How to Sell Season Tickets 101'. I think we'd struggle to find a better custodian of Partick Thistle than Gerry Britton but I really can't see him pulling the trigger on Archie if/when he has to. I don't think there's anyone on the board with the level of objectivity or decisiveness to do it either. That potentially leaves us in a very troubling position. I dread to think what the 'Next Big Moment' might be. We were led to believe that the continued employment of Barton, Keown and Storey on Premier League salaries was a significant factor in our limited early transfer activity. However since Barton left the club and Storey accepted reduced terms, we've signed one player. On loan. The start of the league season isn't suddenly sprung upon you. To begin in such an under-prepared fashion is negligent from all concerned - and of course, it isn't the first time. Finishing in the Top 6 was supposed to give us more time to identify and recruit players yet we ended up with no midfielders and signing two strikers on the last day of August. There's quite clearly an issue in this department - whether that is because the scope of the Chief Executive role is too vast or that folk aren't particularly good at selling the club is open for debate. What isn't debatable is that it needs addressed. As for Saturday, it played out rather how I expected it to. If we didn't match the Ayr midfield, it was going to be the same story as the previous week and so it proved. Shankland is playing very well at the moment but we made him look significantly better. Sincerely hope that I'm wrong but Chris Erskine looks like he's done. Whether he's carrying a knock and is having to play through it due to squad numbers is anyone's guess; wouldn't be surprised with the track record of our supposed fitness team. He's lost the little pace that he had and the agility that he possessed to jink past players also seems to have deserted him. I thought Max Melbourne was hung out to dry; anyone in the ground could see within 5 minutes that he was incapable of using his right foot for anything other than standing on. To reiterate a point made before the game, we knew since the end of last season that the only right back in the squad would be suspended for the opening game yet despite this notice, left ourselves with no viable option to play. What was worse about the above was that despite how clearly uncomfortable Melbourne was, we did absolutely nothing until damage had been done. I mean, it could have been a managerial masterstroke to sign a player to play in the opposite position from his natural one: Oh wait, no. No, it isn't. It is increasingly looking like Archie has in fact learned absolutely nothing from last season's abject failure. He was already in credit with a section of the support; I would guess that he's dipping into an overdraft with the majority now. As for the chat about a possible return for McCall, there's few better around at squad building; there can be no denial that he is a very good lower league manager who has a proven track record of putting structures in place at clubs. He has a charisma that unfortunately Archie lacks and I think our transfer activity would be significantly more proactive with him in charge. With no disrespect to Ayr, he would jump at it too; he's said as much on the radio. But I'm not convinced it would be a move forward for us. If he was interested in taking a step back after Ayr though, I can't think of a better candidate for a Director of Football role at the club.

It's actually painful to listen to. Stewart: "So Charlie, would you agree that having bad decisions go against them is not unique to Rangers?" Adam: "It's unique to everyone."

Your scum fans stab opposition fans, throw vodka bottles at kids and are kicking over their sand castles too, your players kick women on the ground, and your manager is a classless thug simpleton.. if only we all had Sevco Bantz hey.

I’m pretty sure Dundee Utd fans will take the approach of preferring their club to be shite rather than deid.

ayrmad has taken a hypothetical situation which will never happen pretty badly here.

Nobody gives a flying f**k about your team trying to manufacture any sort of rivalry with any team in Tayside’s superior city. Get this pish into the Fermers thread; no-one here gives a shit.

149 days since our last meaningful victory (3-1 against Morton making us safe from relegation). Swallows spend an average of 149 days in the British Isles each year and Quebec has at least one inch of snow for 149 days a year.

This time last year out right hand side consisted of Gasparotto at right-back and Harris right-wing, we were sitting 9th without a win and were getting scudded by every c**t. So you can get this whole the undeserved sacking patter right in the fucking sea. Did ye aye? We got beat 2-0 away to St. Mirren and then drew 1 each at home to Hamilton. In the bag right enough. Counting friendlies ffs [emoji23] I absolutely love that Edi Bairn like this post.

Just had a look at the average age of the starting eleven on Saturday. It was just over 24 with Crawford remarkably the 4th oldest player. Must make us one of the youngest teams in the league. Some great young talent in that team.

Must take some balls to post that as a fan of the only team to lose to the 'relegation cluster'.

At least Houston had been in charge for years, so you could somewhat understand people feeling things were a bit stale. I do think some people completely discount what Houston managed to do though. Finished 2nd - twice - and reached a Scottish Cup Final. Yet some think he totally fucked up the club, which seems more than a tad unfair. I'm sure he made mistakes and it probably was time for him to leave but deserves a little credit I think. Hartley hasn't even been in charge for 12 months yet and has totally revamped the squad but people want him chopped after one league game? Fair enough if you're sitting 8th at Christmas but give the new guys a chance surely?

So many people on here I don’t actually consider Falkirk fans as they seem more interested in moaning about how shite the team are than actually looking to back them and actually see them do well. Miserable c***s.

We've got four players on loan, a guy who relocated as far as he could get away from personal issues (Harrison), a guy who was a laughing stock in the Premiership with Motherwell (Petravicius), a player who was with Sunderland but was slumming it at Gateshead (Greenwood) someone who was released by Watfords academy (Lewis) a guy who was on loan at Accrington Stanley (Dallison) a guy who was part time with a team that was relegated (Froxylias) and a guy who was on loan in the National League (Owen-Evans). And Paton, we were probably the highest placed team he could find. With the exception of Paton, all these guys have moved here to prove that they can play football, they aren't here to earn big money, they are here to earn themselves a name and a move. Whether any of them do that, remains to be seen, but can we put to bed the bullshit about paying big wages to guys who have played 16 games before joining us?

I love how some people have written off some of these players when we are just one proper game into the season. They are all young, moved up from England, getting used to a new club, some getting used to a full-time set up. They may need time, some may even need a spell out on loan, but please don't write them off just yet. Heaton in particular was very highly thought of by Darlington fans.

Of course they had to act. We were staring at the very real possibility of relegation or more likely finishing up in the play off spot in exceptionally poor form with a huge chance of going down. I don’t for one minute fully blame Houston but he carries the can, likewise with Hartley (not that I feel he should be removed any time soon). The players were taking the piss out of Houston & the club/fans as soon as they knew he was retiring. It didn’t change when Hartley came in either as the stench of failure was blinding in that dressing room. Without Hartley’s intervention in January, Christ knows how worse last year would have been. Folk gave Miller a standing ovation at Livi last January/February. I sat on my arse & my hands stayed in my pockets. Don’t deny what he did for us as a player in his spells but he and many others last year took the piss out of us. Houston’s name fitted into the GTF chants but it could easily have been most of that squads names.

We should get MacLean to play 48 games this season including hardout gegenpressing on Hamilton and Killie's dodgy astroturf. Squeeze 20 goals and 15 assists out of the old banger and leave him behind the bins at Mcdiarmid park with 2 burst knees for RandomGuy to find.

A sad day today but good to see so many familiar faces of supporters and ex Queens players at Allan Ball's funeral today. Massive turnout and a touching and well planned service. Nice "programme" (quite deliberately designed as one rather than an Order of Service) with some lovely photos of Allan's family and career too. RIP.

Right that’s cool Scotty. Stop with the horrendous negative shite until October then and get behind the team x

It feels like someone threw me on the Pepsi Max and went their holidays for a fortnight, so close to wanting off many times, then a wee jolt of adrenaline kicks in and you're away again. I wouldn't change either team if I had a choice.

Tin hat on (and not that I am suggesting this) but Csaba Laszlo seems to be the type of person who would probably do a better job as a Director of Football rather than as manager. I actually spent time with him on Saturday before the game as part of the club's SLG and I will be honest, he came across well. He was passionate and informative but the majority of what he said related more to the off the field matters than the team itself. He talked about the radius rule, contract structures, club standards and the management of the squad as 'professionals'. Don't get me wrong, I still think he is a terrible manager and needs to leave but I thought after the meeting that he did speak a lot of sense but more from a club management stance rather than player management. Just because some people might be interested, here are some of the things he did mention about the club - - He talked about the players all living apart from one another and that there was a separate bus load of players who arrived at training every day from the west coast. He also said that the club had previous agreements with two or three players to train in Glasgow once or twice a week so they weren't even coming to Dundee. The teambus was empty coming back from games and now that is not the case. - The club previously had players on contracts that awarded a bonus for a draw, this has now been removed. - He is passionate about a structured, solid and possession based style of football and he believes in this philosophy. Keeping people back at corners allows for one or two defensive players to remain free and act as additional cover (this was mentioned by a director who had asked him the question previous and not Laszlo). - The training schedule used to be three full days and one half day but it is now - Sunday de-brief and warm-down, Monday off, Tuesday - Friday (training on Friday at Tannadice if there is a home game). - 3 or 4 players at the club are still a disruptive influence and he wants them out but they are dragging their heels. He thinks that the majority of players have bought into the new philosophy of the training and 'professional standards' but a few are still hanging around and not giving enough effort (I'm assuming Keatings and McMullan might be in that group). - Some players have openly turned us down because they don't want to play at some of the venues we go to in the Championship. He said he had a meeting with Mohsni and his dad and that Bilel was keen to say and loved the club but thought he should be playing at a higher level. David Southern was a the meeting and suggested that Mike Martin and Laszlo had serious words about how Laszlo treated the Betfred and that it would not happen again. It only did happen because of all the changes to the training structure and new players meaning the squad were all at different levels of fitness and preparation.

I'm sure I read on the Killie thread last year that part of the reason for him dropping out the team was his family still living down south and wanting to go back there. If so, that's unlikely to have changed. TBH I'm at the stage now where probably anyone is going to seem like a potentially good signing Gordon Greer? f**k yeah Willo Flood? Why not? Abdul Osman? Everyone deserves a second chance Darren Brady? probably still got a couple of years in him.

We'd look like arseholes by even asking him to consider an extension. That's just greed.

....which he is already doing on his one year contract. If there is nothing extra in it for him it's not a WIN WIN. I'm in the camp that if we are seen to treat him right and he contributes big time to us doing well in this League, then we will look more attractive to other ambitious talented young players who will see us as a vehicle to further their careers. We can gradually then move to a structure where our key assets are on longer terms contracts that can result in pay-offs for the Club - like we have already started with Murdoch. It seems the board is thinking about the longer term benefit to the Club, rather than just trying to milk the windfall that is Shankland. That means keeping him at Ayr until the January window at a minimum come what may. Only if we are comfortably mid-table then can we think of letting him go before the end of the season, but nor should we try to renegotiate now his current deal, potentially unsettle him and negatively impact his negotiation hand for his inevitable next move. We have to be realistic about where we are right now as a Club. We have ambitions to be a fixture in the Championship but it is going to take more than a year or two and a Lawrence Shankland to turn around this club's long underachievement. For the first time in years however, we seem to be on the right path.

He clearly stated that he is a Labour party member and has always voted Labour until 2014. Since then he stated he has voted Tory or whichever candidate was best placed to beat the SNP. So no, nothing like me, he follows SLAB doctrine and Union at all costs. He's worse than vermin and fairly indicative of exactly why Scotland/UK is so politically fucked. His stance is indefensible if he claims to be socialist.

Easily enough sorted. McGhee RB, Muirhead centre half. Robson left back. Greenwood Left Wing. Lewis upfront. Now we need to play the ball in front of Petra for him to run onto and we are good to go.

Shankland interview in the paper. Sounds like he’s more than happy to see out his contract and see where his future lies next year. Don’t get the impression he wants away just yet.

Nope, not having that bit in bold. There's a world of difference between struggling to achieve the required level of success (McKinnon for example) and falling-down-the-stairs, arse-over-tit, abject failure (Laszlo). We may not be able to find someone who can win the league this season but there must be dozens of out of work, competent jobbers who could steady the ship and put us back in the pack of teams with a decent chance of promotion.

Weve been down here a decade WITH an academy. The days of selling players for a small fortune ended when we joined the forth valley academy. Who was the last academy player we sold for more than buttons anyway?

I assume you must be the grey haired chap with the beard and glasses at the bottom right of this picture then

What the f**k is this?

Nice of Russ to utilise the multiquote funtion so that I can conveniently view him bodying multiple slavers in one post. Good lad.

Usually you might have a case. But our Number 55 is Craig Barr and thus any criticism of him, his remarkable handsomeness or anything else will fall on deaf ears.

Easter Road with one of the most stunning backdrops in world football.

#stephensthebakersseasonticketholder

I know I’m a Cammy fan boy but Hamilton had enough time to deal with the pass back. It was Hamilton’s f**k up, without question imo.

That's frighteningly simplistic. As it stands, the opposition gets a second, maybe third bite to deliver after a clearance, and we end up penned in rather than giving the opposition something to worry about. The point of having a man or two up hasn't much to do with a breakaway goal, it's interfering with the potential 2nd bite and us regaining possession up the pitch.

When was the last time we won a first game of the season? In that period we've finished from 2nd to 8th. Yes there is things to be concerned about like the lack of any cutting edge in the last third, but its game 1 of the season. I'm not a happy clapper, but equally I'm not reaching for the parachute just yet. If the goal had stood from the corner, this place would have been so much more bearable this week!

Anyone who watched the game on Saturday and doesnt have concerns is either deluded or has no idea of football. That said it is day one and there's time to get it right starting with Saturday where we need to see a vast improvement in team formation and performance. A win isnt imperative but we need to be looking to take at least a point backed up by signs that things are going in the right direction.

Have you ever actually sat in the stand at a Falkirk game before. Of course we’re all miserable c***s![emoji16] It doesn’t mean that showing concern or wanting better makes you less of a supporter though. I’d never dream of booing the team off the park. However I don’t think it’s wrong to raise concerns when things could be being done better.

No, let the boy strut his stuff for the season and allow him to have a better negotiating position with possible suitors next summer. That's also a good selling point for any other prospective signings IMHO.

Definitely, the state some are getting in is mental. The game on Saturday was an absolute bore fest, however if our phantom goal had stood, I genuinely believe we’d have kicked on and won the game. Some people are having a flakey over f**k all. Seeing talk of our season down the drain already

Bad day at work, and your inane shite isn’t helping my mood; get in the sea.

Allegedly most of the squad thought so as well.

Pssst, Tynie - someone's hacked your account and is pretending to be me...

Houston got rid of Baird, McHugh and McCracken from the playing side, with a Vaulks, Leahy and Danny Rogers away too. All 6 of these guys were huge characters in the dressing room and well liked. Baird, McHugh and McCracken had to go (playing wise) but their influence in the dressing room would have been sorely missed. A happy group of players (dressing room) can make the most average squad play well above themselves. Which we had. We’ve went down a completely different route now and have to give it time.

Unless I’ve missed the sarcasm (quite possibly), we lost 2-0 on the opening day when we last won this division.

They’ve maybe just put them there for the holiday period

On that analysis I am assuming that you are permanently drunk.